• LIFE
  • photography

See 30 of the Best Photographs of Children From the LIFE Magazine Archives

1 minute read
Laughing boy on street in Trastevere, Rome, 1958.
Laughing boy on street in Trastevere, Rome, 1958.Carlo Bavagnoli—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
By Lily Rothman and Liz Ronk

Across the world, in nations from China to Cuba, this Thursday, June 1, will mark what’s now widely known as International Children’s Day. The purpose of such a day — some other nations mark it at different times throughout the year and the U.N. has Universal Children’s Day in November — is to both celebrate the lives of children and remember the importance of protecting them so that they can fulfill the boundless potential that comes with being young.

In honor of that day, LIFE takes a look back through its 37 years of iconic photography to find images that capture the breadth of experience of children around the world. Funny or serious, cute or moving, happy or sad, the kids shown here illustrate in their own ways an element that makes childhood uniquely special. They may be small, but their inner lives, as captured on film by LIFE’s expert photographers, are anything but.

Chinese-American children in San Francisco, 1936.
Chinese-American children in San Francisco, 1936.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
1181696.jpg
Boy engrossed in playing marbles, US, 1937.Pictures Inc.—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Eskimo child in Canada, 1937.
Eskimo child in Canada, 1937.Margaret Bourke-White—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young Rumanian boy, 1938.
A young Rumanian boy, 1938.John Phillips—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Children in blitzed north of England, 1940.
Children in blitzed north of England, 1940.Hans Wild—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Young boy in the Tungkwan area of China, 1941.
Young boy in the Tungkwan area of China, 1941.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A farmer's son holding a pair of Hampshire piglets on farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1943.
A farmer's son holding a pair of Hampshire piglets on farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1943. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Child actress Margaret O'Brien and her spaniel pet Maggie sharing a bubble bath, Los Angeles, Calif., 1944.
Child actress Margaret O'Brien and her spaniel pet Maggie sharing a bubble bath, Los Angeles, Calif., 1944.Marie Hansen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Children having military parade in street in Tarrytown, N.Y., 1944.
Children having military parade in street in Tarrytown, N.Y., 1944.Eliot Elisofon—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Three children graduating kindergarten in the U.S., 1945.
Three children graduating kindergarten in the U.S., 1945.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Austrian girl and her doll, 1946.
Austrian girl and her doll, 1946.Nat Farbman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Native American boy of the Chochiti tribe playing drum outside his home, Sante Fe, New Mexico in 1947.
Native American boy of the Chochiti tribe playing drum outside his home, Sante Fe, New Mexico in 1947.W. Eugene Smith—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
David Henseley, young child crippled by polio with both legs in braces, soliciting funds in public fund-raising driver for a new polio hospital. High Point, N.C., 1948.
David Henseley, young child crippled by polio with both legs in braces, soliciting funds in public fund-raising driver for a new polio hospital. High Point, N.C., 1948.Martha Holmes—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Four year old Flora and her sister Jacqueline Couch in Leslie Country, Kentucky, 1949.
Four year old Flora and her sister Jacqueline Couch in Leslie Country, Kentucky, 1949.Eliot Elisofon—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Three young boys eating a Red Cross meal in Arizona, 1950.
Three young boys eating a Red Cross meal in Arizona, 1950. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Koo Ri Kang, a Korean war orphan who would not smile in South Korea, 1951.
Koo Ri Kang, a Korean war orphan who would not smile in South Korea, 1951. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Nine year old prodigy, Hansan Kaptan, Turkish child, has an exhibition at a gallery in Paris, France, 1951.
Nine year old prodigy, Hansan Kaptan, Turkish child, has an exhibition at a gallery in Paris, France, 1951.Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Child standing beside a miniature horse, showing size comparison, Los Angeles, Calif., 1952.
Child standing beside a miniature horse, showing size comparison, Los Angeles, Calif., 1952.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young Jamaican girl scout with surprised look as she watches the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II. Jamaica, 1953.
A young Jamaican girl scout with surprised look as she watches the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II. Jamaica, 1953.Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Group of Boys Club little league baseball players putting on their uniforms while sitting in classroom, Manchester, NH, 1954.
Group of Boys Club little league baseball players putting on their uniforms while sitting in classroom, Manchester, NH, 1954.Yale Joel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Children hard at work at school in Iowa, 1954.
Children hard at work at school in Iowa, 1954. Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A little girl looking at doll through a window, Westchester, NY, 1955.
A little girl looking at doll through a window, Westchester, NY, 1955.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Laughing boy on street in Trastevere, Rome, 1958.
Laughing boy on street in Trastevere, Rome, 1958. Carlo Bavagnoli—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Little boys sleeping on a subway car in New York, NY, 1959.
Little boys sleeping on a subway car in New York, NY, 1959.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Sandra Kunhardt pretending she is a doll in the US, 1961.
Sandra Kunhardt pretending she is a doll in the US, 1961.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A group of children in India, 1963.
A group of children in India, 1963.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
PARIS
Children watching story of St. George and the dragon at the puppet theater in the Tuileries in Paris, France, 1963.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young child in Vietnam, 1965.
A young child in Vietnam, 1965.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Children in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., 1966.
Children in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., 1966.Bill Ray—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Children at a school in Lancaster County, Penn., photographed with a Polaroid SX-70 camera, 1972.
Children at a school in Lancaster County, Penn., photographed with a Polaroid SX-70 camera, 1972.Co Rentmeester—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

More Must-Reads from TIME

Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com